DW BUREAU

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal inaugurated 5 major health sector projects worth Rs 820.92 crore in the auditorium of Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, Karnal today.

The list of five projects inaugurated by the Chief Minister today includes the construction of the second phase of Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College with a cost of Rs 169.58 crore, the construction of a private ward in Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Health Sciences University Kutail with a cost of Rs 33.41 crore, the construction of the third phase of Bhagat Phool Singh Government Medical College Khanpur Kalan (Sonipat) with a cost of Rs 419.13 crore, the construction of a private ward complex in Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma PGIMS Rohtak with a cost of Rs 155.36 crore, and the construction of Government Nursing College Safidon (Jind) with a cost of Rs 43.44 crore.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that by 2030, a medical college will be started in every district of the state. The government is progressing in terms of strengthening the public healthcare sector. Yoga sahayaks will undergo a short-term dietitian course. Haryana has become the first state in the country to implement Universal Health Coverage for all citizens.

Manohar Lal said that the healthcare sector in Haryana is progressing rapidly. In 2015, the government decided to open medical colleges in every district to increase the number of doctors. Today, medical colleges have started in 12 districts of the state.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently laid the foundation stone of the 22nd AIIMS in Rewari. Medical colleges are under process in nine other districts. The land has been acquired for three colleges, and if possible, the foundation stone will be laid before the implementation of the Code of Conduct. He said that by 2030, medical colleges will be started in every district.

The Chief Minister shared that in 2014, there were 750 MBBS seats in the state, which have now increased to 2,100. After the start of medical colleges in all districts by 2030, there will be 36,00 seats available for admission to MBBS. Today, the state needs 28,000 doctors. This need can increase to 35,000 to 40,000 by 2030.

The government aims to fulfill this requirement in the next six years. The government's effort is to provide one or two doctors in every village according to the population, said Sh. Manohar Lal.

The Chief Minister said that the Ayushman Bharat scheme was initially for BPL families, with an income limit of Rs 1.20 lakh, which the government increased to Rs 1.80 lakh. By doing so, 29 lakh families were covered under it. Then the income limit was increased from Rs 1.80 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. Under this, a premium of Rs 1,500 per annum was fixed for those benefiting from

the scheme.

By doing so, 7 lakh more families were added to the scheme. Now the government has decided to implement the scheme for everyone by removing the income limit. Those with incomes from Rs. 3 to Rs. 6 lakh will have to pay an annual premium of Rs. 4,000, and those with incomes above Rs. 6 lakhs will have to pay Rs. 5,000, informed

Manohar Lal. The Chief Minister said that the government has increased the health budget by 24 percent to Rs 9,500 crore.

(editor@dailyworld.in)